A Teacher Learning
by Quilliam
Summary: Not much in this part, but it leads up to some of the bigger things. Pen finally finds what he wants, but is it going to be in the best interests of Ponyville and Canterlot? I don't, just read!


Twilight Sparkle and her new friend, Pen, are found asleep much as they were a few hours prior. The guard nudges them, hoping to wake one pony or the other as they lean against each other.

"Excuse me," he says, unsure. "Excuse me?" he says with slightly less conviction as the darker-furred form stirs and rises. He's much taller than most ponies, and he grumbles with a menacing glare. His hair is unkept, brown from nature or from filth. The pentagram on his thigh is strange, but the guard makes no judgement.

"Begone," echoes his harsh voice. The guard obeys, if on nothing other than instinct. Pen follows to ensure the guards are all gone when he here's rustling.

"Pen?" Twilight whispers, waking herself.

"I'm here, Twilight." He clops to her side again. "There are some things I have to do." He pushes her to her feet and helps her from the room. He notes the marks on her throat and winces.

"Promise me something, Ms. Sparkle. Watch out for my apprentice. And do try to avoid gender-specific terms, if you may."

"What's with that, anyway?" She glances around, seeing various ponies go about their life in the castle.

"It's an alchemist tradition. Gender interferes with one's thinking, as do names. Worry not for the student receives both after training." Pen keeps his eyes forward, trying to block out the others.

"So how is he-I mean, your apprentice-doing?"

"Oh, he's not far off. And what the hay, perhaps the graduation will be had before the season's end." Pen flits his ears back, then turns. "You seem familiar," he remarks to the fresh pony trotting over.

"We know of you, Pen. We were informed of all the events that transpired during our...incarceration." The blue mare nods her head, and angles her ears in a pleasant manner.

"Your language and formalities gives you away, Luna." Pen himself bows low. "Princess Luna," he corrects. "And why do you grace us today?"

"We simply wish to meet the one who causes our sister strife and joy so."

"I'm happy to deliver on both." Pen makes quick work to the exit, but begins to stumble, then collapses.

As he rose from the dirt, he darted his eyes about. His horn glowed bright, ready for any attack.

But when it came, he was wholly unprepared. The strike was of a thousand hooves on the ground. He whirled in the air, realigning himself with gravity, and landed on his hind legs. With a cry of battle, he sent a bolt of lightning to his master. The older stallion could not avoid, but he could deflect. The bolt struck a tree and charred the wood.

"Ugh, my head," Pen complains as he picks himself up. Anypony in the vicinity has stopped by now to see the episode. Luna and Twilight assist him outdoors and down to Ponyville, where Luna finally accepts he's fine and flies back to Canterlot.

"Quite a walk, eh?" Pen probes. Twilight smiles at him.

"Well, exercise is good for a pony. No matter your age, everypony should walk a little each day."

"Even the pegasi? Don't you think having wings would make life easier?"

Twilight looks slightly confused. "I guess, but how can that make a difference to us? I mean, you can't just change who you are. We're all born unique and special."

"Hmph." Pen glances away. "I'm nothing special. And I've changed before. I'm actually afraid of changing again." Looking a bit perturbed, they walk on, towards the library.

"Well, even if you do, we'll still all love you," the purple mare states, positively sure of herself.

"Really? There are things that-" He's silenced as the door to the library opens and several ponies jump out and yell surprise! Pinkie Pie floats by assisted by several balloons.

Pen reels back, gasping. "If my nerves weren't fried before, they're sure shorted out, now," he exclaims, focusing on calming his heart.

"I hope we didn't alarm you too much, dear," Rarity calls with concern.

"Yeah, we don't want you fainting on us again," Rainbow laughs.

"What..is this?" he queries as he studies the banners and colors that fill the room.

"Well," Twilight begins to say, stifling laughter. "You've been here a month and we thought you deserved to know how much we like having you around." Pen analyzes her, then tosses his harsh gaze around to the others. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, his student, the dragonling Spike, and a few others that he makes a mental note to remember the names of later.

With a darkness in his eyes, he enters the room. Then he breaks into chuckling.

"This means a lot. It's the most wanted I've felt in a long time," he gets out between breaths. "You've been wonderful to me, really, all of you. You're all so honest, kind, and fun, generous, and loyal and..." Pen trails off, watching as the six line up and smile at him. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight.

"That's it," he whispers. With more force, "That's it!" He barks a short laugh and shakes his head. "The Elements of Harmony." The six friends seem worried for a moment as Pen goes on. "They're within you all. I mean, I'm certain there are physical manifestations elsewhere, but nonetheless. You six, drawn together by destiny, are true friends." He walks towards them and stops.

"Pen," Rarity starts.

"Look, Princess Celestia told us everything-"

Pen cuts her off. "She told you what the old Pen would have done. This one wants something else." He makes his way to the group, and tosses his forelegs around them. He's only just able to reach all six, giving the impromptu hug an awkward quality. It takes a few seconds for the affectionate gesture to be registered, but when it is the friends return it. Pen separates, happy.

"This Pen wants to stay here, with ponies he considers... That I consider friends." It appears as though a tear is going to drop from his eyes, but a sudden and wrathfully explosion shudders the ground. Pen just manages to keep his footing, but others aren't so lucky. He rushes outside, with a fearful "No..."

Up, in the sky, a dark red figure bobs up and down.

"ALCHEMIST!" its terrible and vicious voice bellows. "YOU WILL BE MINE. AND ALL THOSE WHO PROTECT CAN PERISH WITH YOU!" The partygoers gallop out to meet Pen, just in time to realize they may die.

"Maybe you should come down here. We can settle this like gentlecolts." Pen tosses his head to the side, hair flowing free of its bond. "Or, I'll treat you like the mistempered mare I took you to be."

Pen nearly regrets his words when he notices the destroyed, nearby building. But the demon lands without hesitation, quickly taking to the taunts. Pen wastes no time in hurtling himself at the dark red pony, spinning so his tail meets with flesh.

Rather, meets air. The demon is backing away, flaming frothing from its maw. It launches a ball of red heat, which Pen ducks under. Twilight shields her friends, reacting with just enough time. Pen's apprentice is told to head inside, an order quickly obeyed. Rainbow Dash is speedily to Pen's aid, no questions asked on her part. The others, however, hesitate at thought of attacking somepony who could destroy buildings at will.

Combined assaults of ground and air stagger the demonic and seemingly genderless pony.

"ENOUGH of this," it hollers, suddenly losing the leathery wings and growing a twisted, cracked horn. It smashes a broad hoof into Rainbow, knocking her aside. She manages to keep on her feet, but the demon aims to impale her. Pen, with little time to think, throws himself in the way. He grunts, the pain unbelievable, but manages to pull his feet from under himself. There's a sickening squelch and snap as the horn comes off from the demon. It cries in agony and pulls back. It regrows its wings and loses the horn stump, but a darker spot still signifies where the break occurred.

This is all the motivation the others need. Twilight quickly formulates a plan and sets about getting her friends into position. Applejack heads to Pen to keep him awake and alive.

She grips the severed horn in her teeth, but a rushed and hushed "No" stops her.

"Come again?" she asks, letting the horn go.

"Nuh...nuh...no. Lee-leave the horn in. Sto-stops the blee...the bleeding." He slowly scrabbles to his feet, and drops his trusty shoulder bag. He digs around in some pockets with his snout, before drawing out a brown-filled vial.

"Pour this...this into th-the wound."

Applejack looks worried, but decides it'd be worse to stop and question it. She pops out the cork and upturns the bottle into the bloody, clogged hole. Pen screams in agony, causing Applejack to step back.

"Pen? Don' go telling me Ah just went and made-"

"I'll be fine. Now, the horn, if..if you will." Pen inhales sharply as applejack complies and removes the blockage. The flesh closes the hole, mostly.

"I'll make something. For the inevitable bald spot." Expecting there to not be a laugh, he shakes his head to clear the pain.

"The demon...?"

"Oh," Applejack starts. "Rainbow Dash is keepin' it in th'air. Twilight has a plan-"

"Not going to work," Pen interrupts. "He'll get angrier and angrier until he kills me. Ms. Sparkle would have made a plan to catch it, but it must die. No two ways about that." There's a malevolent cruelty in Pen's eyes, betraying his history with the demon.

"Did ya love her?" she asks suddenly. Pen closes his eyes.

"With every single ounce of my existence." He grips a bottle from his bag, and flings it into the air with grand accuracy, hitting the demon as it evades Rainbow Dash. There's an explosion, and it soars down to the dirt. Twilight takes her chance and calls for a banner to be stretched across the rooftops. Rarity and Pinkie tug it tight, and let go as soon as the demon hits it. The action chains and the banner wraps itself around the demon, letting it hit the ground hard. Pen staggers over to the bundle, kicking it hard.

"You disgusting piece of shit." Pen spits on it. "Tell me, where is my Alaena?"

"Pen!" Fluttershy pushes against him, causing him to stumble back. He had never heard her so forceful. "This is not how we treat other creatures."

"But it's not even-"

"No. No excuses. Look, just because something bad happened does mean you have to be mean. Maybe if we ask NICELY, we can get the answers you want." Fluttershy bobs her curls, sure the message has gotten through.

The wide-eyed stallion says much to the same.

"Good." She turns around, just in the nick of having fangs descend around her throat. The bite is shallow, just enough to let the yellow, normally soft spoken mare be lifted and thrown like trash. The demon is much larger, several times the height of Pen. It roars, beyond comprehensible speech at this point.

"FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow Dash yells, tears streaming. She takes high off into the sky. Rarity gives her best shot of trying to hurt the beast with magic, but gets knocked from the roof for the effort. The demon's forelegs are tipped in posable claws instead of hooves now, making it easier to crush whatever it sees fit to crush. It gives off a horrendous, cruel laugh, but stops at the sound of a soft boom.

A rainboom.

A shuddering of the heavens themselves triggers anyone in hearing range to glance up.

Much to the regret of the demon, who is struck head on by the Mach speed assault. It seems to accordion for a moment as Rainbow Dash slaps into the dense earth. Her friends, those able to move painlessly, make their ways to her side. The demon, while hurt, doesn't stop. It swats the lot of them together, twenty four limbs tangled together where the friends all land.

"All the friendship in the world can't save me." Pen steps up to the demon. "Do with me as you will. But I beg you," he pleads, eyes growing damp, "hurt them not. They're my friends. And they're some of the only ponies who care for me."

The demon chuckles, at least what passes for chuckling in its current form. It grips tightly into Pen and hauls him up.

"If I manage to get stuck in your teeth, at least you can use my tail to pick me back out."

There's a short, high pitched laugh. Five mares glare at Pinkie Pie, who covers her mouth.

"Wait, there's one last thing we can do," Twilight realizes.

"Nothin' ta be done 'bout it." Applejack nods.

"We just must, to help out a friend." Rarity joins the line.

"We have to...for Pen," Fluttershy agrees quietly.

"And for us, too. No one hurts us and goes unhurt," Rainbow Dash spits a bit of blood and smiles.

"AND FOR THE CUPCAKES I'LL BAKE IF WE DON'T ALL DIE!" Pinkie Pie happily adds.

The mane six stand together, circles around the demon. Magic glows around them, lifting the six into the space around the demon's head. The Elements of Harmony form around their necks, and Twilight's head, as the demon whips its head back and forth. The air crackles with energy, and Pen watches in awe.

"Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic." A beam of light strikes out from each gem set in the Elements, seemingly of their own accord, acting on the will of the friends to save one of their own. Their eyes glow white as the magic takes effect, burning the demon. It screeches in total torment, dropping Pen. He hits the ground and doesn't move.

The demon, however, cannot keep still. It claws out at he group, but grows weak. It tumbles into a heap, then grows still. Its life leaves it, and the friends drop to the street. The Elements fade, and all of them hurry to Pen.

"Is he alright?"

"Poke him with something."

"Ah think he needs s'more space, gals."

"I'm so sorry." All look down to see Pen rise, then look up as he finishes the act of standing. "All I bring is pain to you. Really, it's easy to see why I'm hated."

"No, it isn't," Twilight insists. "I can't see why anypony wouldn't love you. All you want is to help, even if you have bad luck."

"It isn't luck. It's...my past. Reverel came looking for me. And...and he didn't seem to know about Alaena." He drags his hoof through the dirt. "I guess I'll see to all your wounds."

"Oh! I promised cupcakes didn't I!" Pinkie hops and skips to the bakery, eager to bake. Pen chuckles, laying down.

"Tend...wounds..." His eyes flutter shut, but he attempts to stand.

"No, Pen dear. Rest. Me and Twilight," Rairty nods to the magic student, "will handle the hurt. You need sleep."

"Sleeeeep," Pen mumbles, dropping off from consciousness.


End file.
